Flying-machine.



Patented Dec. '5, 1911 3 8HEET5SIIEET 1.

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BY j nrramzr 0.-J.- LAKE. FLYING 1110111112 'APPLIOATION'EILED DEC. 20, 1909.

Patented Dec. 5, 1911.

3 SH-EET8-8HEET 2.

f 44 v M 1 I r WITNESSES. INVENTOR 6%NJf0/0fi6n/Lqh,

G. J. LAKE.

' FLYING MAQHINE. APYLIOATION rum) 11m. 20, 1909 Patented D9115; 1911.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3,

WITNESSES:

TTORNE Y GHRISfIQEHF-R J. LAKE; OF -IBRIDGE?ORT, CONITECTIG'IITT.

FLYING MAGHINE Specification iii-Le ttcrs Patent.

Application,filedllecember 20, was: SeiialNo. 534,074.

To all who/nit mayroncemc lie it known that 1 CH ISTOPHER J. LAKE, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield and State of. Connecticut, have invented eerto in. new and usefu Improvements in. Flyingltiachineapf which the following is a specification,

This invention relates to flying machines and has for its vobject to providetanfan rangement of. lifting surfaces that will carry the most weight withthe greatest steadiness of flight, andto provide suitable structure for securingand supporting the surfaces. 7

A furth r, objectis to provide means for maintaining the equipoise of the machine and. for causing it toascend or'descend as desired,

A further; object isto providemeans for adapting. the lower portion" of the machine to shimoverthe surface of water or glide on the air as desired and to ali'ghton and rise 'rointhe water.

With-these objects: inview andother objects that fill appear I have embodied my invention in the form illustrated by the ac companying drawings which forma part of this specifioationand in which,

Fl e 1 is a side elevation; Fig.2 is a front new; Fig; 3 is a top ,view; Flg4 is "a detail diagram of plans-sh,iftint means; Fig.

5 a diap am iof distending and collapsing means; liigs, 5,7, 8, and 9 are details of 5, and liig ld is a cross-sectional detail showing an alternate construction of the distensible element shown in Figs.- 1 and 2.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2, and 3, the principal liftingsuifaces of the machine are designated hfl, 3, 4, and 5 and are arranged, one after the other, in a gradient series ascendingtoward the rear. In Figs. 2 and 3 it is shown that thetransverse dimensions of the surfaces increase from the front to a maximum at about themid-portion of the machineland thence diminish toward the rear, the foremost surface 1 having somewhat less lateral spread than the rear-most 5. This arrangement of" surfaces I have found to insure the greatest. steadiness of flight with the max Lunrlift. These surfaces are mounted on t e inclined upper members 10of a pair of triangular.fabric-covered truss frames which are joinedto ether along their lower edges 11 and forth t e substantial central or body portion of the machine. The formahic olikthis body andtherrelation and {man tionunder control of the ner of connection to it of the other parts of the machine are similar to that shown in my pending applications for United States Letters Patent Nos. 484,299 and 512,054, filed March 18, 1909. and August 9, 1909, respectively Each of the surfaces 1 to-5 is So cured by its rear edge to the truss member 10 andthc front edge-is supported and fixed in positionby upright members 1%, the front surface 1 beinghingeably mounted on the member 10 and having its angle of inclinaoperator by means ofa cable'attached to its front edge and passing over a policy 15 at the top of the upright 'member let. i

Extending laterally fromthe sides of the body trusses there is a pair of surfaces 8 and 9 placed at sullicient distance from the other surf aces to insure their efficient action. These add greatly to the amount of lifting surfacepf the machine While adding but lit tle to the weight, since the-body portion is well adapted to carry additional surfaces projecting from its sides without additional framing structure for supporting them, Two or more pairs of such surfaces may be so mounted on the sides of the body if deired.

The extremities of the various transverse surfaces are provided with guy wires conmeeting them to the upper and lower portions of the machine to prevent any upward deflection of the surfaces from the pressure of the air when in flight. These guy wires, however, have been, for the most part, omitted to avoid confusion onthe drawings. T he surfaces 1 to 5 may also be trussed together to secure additional strength, the rear edge of any of these surfaces, except 5, being connected to the front edge of the surface immediately above it by vertical struts with diagonal wiring between them.

Numerals 6 and 7 represent lifting surfaces mounted on slides or guides beneath the trusscd body 12, surface 6 being in the slide'todszin a manner to. admitof its dis? placement 1 toward-Yon final the center i gravity of the machine. To control the position of the surface an endless cable 22 is.

attached to it as indicated at 23 (Fig. 4) and passed around a forward pulley 24 and a drum 25. The drum ismounted on a shaft 26 provided with a hand-wheel 27 (Fig. 1) whereby 't-heopcrator can rotate tlie drum and thus move the surface 6 to any position desired along the length of the rods 18. The surface 7 is supported on slide rods 30 by rings or loops 31 in the same manner as surface 6. The rods 30, however, are secured transversely across the lower portion of the body 12.' The ends of these rods are held by members 32 from the ends ofwhich guy wires and 34 extend to the upper and lower parts of the machine. The surface 7 is moved to any desired position on the rods by means of a cable 35 roved on a drum 36 which is mounted on a hollow shaft.37 concentric with shaft 26 and having a handwheel 38 convenient for the operator. The cable 35 passes from the drum back to a pair of guide pulleys 89 and (Fig. 4) over the center of the surface from which the cable passes to the opposite margins of the surface Where it is secured as indicated at 41. The drums 25 and 36 and the pulleys 39 and 40 are shown of unlike diameters for clearness of illustration. I It is readily seen that by turning the hand wheel in either direction the surface 7 is shifted toward either the right or the left of the machine as desired, while by. the adj acent handwheel 27 the surface 6 may be moved toward or from the center of the machine. By the operation of these two surfaces the machine is maintained in both longitudinal and lateral equipoise. When the machine tends to lean either forward or backward at an unfavorable inclination the surface 6 is moved toward the front or rear, according as more or less lifting effect is required at the forward part of the machine,,and-'\vhen either side of the machine unduly descends the surface 7 is shifted toward the lower side until the greater lifting thus produced on that side gives the desired effect.

Since the movable surface 6 can be used to tilt the machine it is adapted for the same functions as a horizontal rudder, in which capacity it possesses the advantage of presenting always'a suitable and nearly :uni-

A form inclination to the wind. The surface,

1 is so 'mounted, however', that it also may be used as a horizontal rudder if desired.

The lower portion of the machine is inclosed by a stout marginal framing member 51 to which are connected several pairs of flexible curved members 52, 53, 54, 55 and 56 extending downward fromthe body-and to which are also connected the front-and rear pairs of Wheels 57 and 58. Within the frammgj5l there is a doubly concave or dome-shaped lifting surface 60 raised at the front for effective action on the air. The surface 60 is formed of strakes and transverse members suitably arranged for the requisite shape and covered Withtwo layers of air-tight and waterproof fabric the upper of which layers is attached to the entire framework of the surface. The under layer 61 however. is attached only at its edges to the frameworr 51 and can therefore be brought firmly against the upper layer 60 by air or water pressure or may be caused to take a convex form as shown in Fig. 1. The means for raising and lowering this fabric 61 is shown in Figs. 5 to 9. In F i 5 the fabric is shown in its fully distended position where it is maintained by the pump 63 in which the valved plunger-64 drives air through pipe 65, valve 66 and pipe 67 Fig. 6 to the space between the two fabrics. The

is led to the pump through the pipe 68 from a longitudinal recess 69in the valve 66. To

air is taken from the open atmosphere but distend the surface the valve 66 is set in the position shown in Fig. 6 and the pump is thrown into engagement with the motor used for propelling the machine by a friction clutch 70 under control of the operator by a lever 71. When the distension is complete the clutch is disengaged and the air is confined by the chcck valve 7 2 and also by moving the valve 66 to the position shown in Fig 8. In this condition the distended bottom of the machine has the necessary form and buoyancy to adapt it to gliding or skimming over the surface of water or resting thereon. \Vhen it is desired to withdraw the air and return the lower fabric 61 to itsprevious concave form in contact with the upper fabric to form an air impact and supporting surface the valve 66 is turned as shown in Fig. 7 The air is now drawn to the pump from the pipe 67 through the valve 66, into pipe 68 and through check valve 73 and discharged into the open atmosphere'by way of ipo 65 and the recess 69 of the valve 66. his action of the pum exhausts the air from between the two fa rics and holds them together smoothly as one until it is desired again to distend the lower one for use on the for t e dist-ensible lower portion of the machine. Here the upper art 60 is a fabricicovered framing asbe ore, but the lower art, instead of being a simple fabric, is of ramingor other stiff construction and is joined to the upper portion on all sides by an elastic plaited fabric or Webbing 79. By

and the'pump-again started.

pressure of the air betweent whatever construction the, distensible lower part.- may be formed, vit is T intended thatEit-i ll, v *Wh n di tend d .e ab oad and p rativelyifie sures 40 co tac with the water .to in'sure thatlit shall glide n'r, skim over the surface, of I the water Qwithont; king lfli t idept lto awak 2i cul t to rise fromIthe Iwa ter.

e whee1s' 5I7Iai'e secured ,to the machinef hy levers 82 .pivoted' near .ltheir mid-length; andheld against backward defiection by stops or chocks .83 on (the marginal framing i 51. Thesellevers are-provided with '84:

and 85 which pass over puI leysYSB-Kto.acleatl th l n e holds the Wh ;-l e s e again h chocks for land or air travel and alighting on the flaterlthe wheels arewraised the pq 'isqn S ime by dott d l nes in:

Fig. y drawi 1 lin 2 and Paying :t I s I- 2 feme iemedetshei zlawe sdg sand The a hine i driren e -P ?P Q connected a mot 91' mounted inside the y P ics pi th lee hn Elie reset S g iS- CQ l Pl h d. .h 33.1 I y i d c ted-in mies i wi h was or y s r a 1 s lfless-5e h n z n e ted-i While the 'he n l st erin is ieqted' y the newsrea er B8 ensued by the operator by e l 'mechen sm i th rewery manner which "it isnot necessary'to show; on the drawings. The operatorls is; placed in the forward part of the body ofthe machine where aportion of'the body fabric is removed to 'aiford himentrance and I I i pai Of longitudinal slide a liftmgsurfa e convenient Ltd the operator.

out line 85.

fbr look-out in travel;

What I claim is 1. In a flying machine, a rearwardly ascending series of supporting surfaces in which the intermediate surfaces have greater transverse dimensions than the front and i rear surfaces.

2-. In a'fiying machine, a rearwardly ascending series of supporting surfaces in whlch the transverse dimensions of the surfaces diminish progressivelyfrom the cen'- tralmember of the series to the front and rear.

3. In a flying machine, a rearwardly ascending series of supporting surfaces in which the intermediate surfaces have greater transverse dimensions than the front and rear surfaces, the foremost surface of the series I being of less transverse dimensions than the rearmost surface.

I 41. In a flying machine, in combination, a body portion formed of a pair of triangular truss frames joined at their lower edges and diverg'ng upward and a rearwardly ascending series of lifting surfaces secured to said truss frames, the intermediate surfaces in said series having greater transverse dimensions than the front and rear surfaces.

5. In a flying machine, in combination, a

body portion formed of a pair. of triangular truss-framesjoined at theirglower edges-and idlrer ig upwa d and a tree-madly I ding series Qf a fitting sufle ces-eseenr dto s xine she ves; th itrensverse glhneg s ae 9 sh urfac sun sa 'd series-diminishes ,pres tessi ly item the seentra membe 1 ith isen it th fmntendz ee fiy gamsh he, combinat on; a

h9g1yfpo t bnzierm ds eipei q triang l ar 115 35; .rame iein datzthe zl we' zeslg and dirergi i'gupward and irea wa dly e end ng'iseri s tof lift ng 7 surfa se ured to --$?i i i emesvath .in erm iliat un i ser es ha in greate transverse-1d me siqns th n th {semen-d :r'ea su fa es and the foremos surfac rat th ser es f-being of l ss tweete s dimensiens than the w a most s tim had 'renisn {'ser s of h tt ng snntagessecamd so the 7 the zin snmedistewsu taces -ss tram I hem greater transverse h said se ies a d eth r-lifting si iaqesieI-stending from the s des of the i-body portion: I

.8- In r firm g machine eem inat n,

Pe' 1 nuns-ass s ide a l s ing surf-a m un ed the eon, e a ttan vers {Slides hfitin surfa e m untsd and n c nt s 'j y arrang d mntr l'li ng' m an s ift ng a d s ites-e on men- Slides-- 9-"1 1 a flyi ma hine in com ination, a

distending and concavely collapsing saidelernent. I

11. :In a flying machine, in combination, a distensible and collapsible element adapted to impinge with a concflvesurface upon the air and with a surface distended to'convex form n on the water and means for convexly istending and conoavelycollapsing Said element,

12. In a flying machine, in 'cQmbin atiQma distensible and collapsible element adapted to impinge with a concave surface upon the air and with a surface distendedto convex an machine, 1 .1 scmbinat qn, a

ieensi n than the MM ana -se iaaes,

form upon the Water, an air-pump connected therewith and pipe and valve connections with the air-pump whereby air maybe forcedinto or out from said element I 13,111 a flying machine, in combination, a "(listens-ible and collapsible element adapted tojimpi'nge with a concave surface upon the -ffr and with a-surface distended to convex florm upon the water and means for convexly distending and concavely collapsing said element, said; means comprising an air-.-

pumpg an engine connected therew th, pipe and. valve connections between the pump and 10, the element and a clutch mechanism between the engine and the air-pump.

14. The combination withthe lower portion of a flying machine of a convexly dis- Witness my hand this eighteenth dy oi 12c December, 1909. A

cHRIsTbPHER J. LAKE. Witnesses: 3 r

C. E. ADAMS, M. D. BIJONDEL. 

